As usual, I got carried away in writing my last post, and forgot a few notes. Even if you feel like procuring a top notch closer is a priority, and that Papelbon was the best closer available, Amaro still botched this transaction badly. By acting rashly and signing Papelbon immediately, he cost the Phillies more than valuable resources that could’ve been allocated elsewhere. Instead of waiting for the new CBA to be settled like many teams, Amaro jumped the gun…and paid for it. The Papelbon signing fell under the old CBA rules for compensation, and will cost the Phillies a first round pick in the coming draft. The compensation for Madson, despite also being a Type A free agent, falls under the new CBA, and will only net the Phils a second rounder and a sandwich round pick.

Regardless of how one may feel about the each player’s abilities and overall worth, that was an egregious mistake by Amaro that seemed easily avoidable. It’s the kind of basic misstep that make me question his shrewdness, while many laud his aggressiveness.

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One response to “Addendum to Amaro column”

You already know my stance on this but let me play devil’s advocate for a moment. You need a closer. You want your closer to be a top notch guy with a track record. When dealing with Boras in the past, numbers you wanted to pay were drastically different for what they got paid (see: Kyle Loshe and Jayson Werth). There are only two guys you consider to be elite on the market, Papelbon and Madson, and there is no guarantee when the CBA is going to be signed when it is. Boras is taking you on the run around and if Madson’s biggest goal was to return to the Phillies, I am sure something would have been done about that, he obviously had some other things in mind besides just returning to Philly. When things went south with your guy, who you held primary discussions with, you went to the best available closer on the market with the best track record out there to bring your team a proven winner at the end of the bullpen. No issues with that at all. It comes down to a business, and Amaro took care of just that. Business